BRECKENRIDGE — Under a cloudless sky and with temperatures in the mid- to upper 40s, Day 5 of the 29th annual Ride The Rockies bicycle tour departed Avon on Thursday morning for a 74-mile journey over one iconic bridge and two mountain passes to Breckenridge.

The route opened with 16 miles of climbing — this tour’s watchword — through Minturn along the Eagle River, over Battle Mountain and across Red Cliff Bridge. Next, the registered 2,000 cyclists gained approximately 1,675 feet of elevation over a dozen miles to reach the summit of Tennessee Pass while passing the Camp Hale site, where the legendary 10th Mountain Division trained during World War II.

Riding down from Freemont Pass to Copper. (Greg Olson, Special to The Denver Post)

The Day 5 route is one of my favorites. It has three mountain passes, with views and fun descents. We were met with head winds riding out of Avon early Thursday morning. They slightly subsided as we turned up Highway 24 into Minturn to begin our day of climbing. The ride up to Battle Mountain was a nice quick pace, and the descent to aid station No. 1 was through the brisk morning air. You ride by historic 10th mountain division training sites. You can imagine what it must have been like to train in winter conditions at these altitudes.

One thing to note is that the Ride The Rockies crew is clever and has painted in chalk quotes or riddles for us to read as you’re climbing up the mountain pass. The one I remember read “Become one with your bike.” The seat of my bike certainly feels like it has become one with me.

In 2012 I asked Bryan Boyle if he was interested in running the Chicago Marathon — two weeks later he asked if I was interested in Ride the Rockies. I got a road bike, got on the tour, and have yet to regret it. This will be my second RTR.